He's My Friend
by katierosefun
Summary: [Modern day AU] A series of one-shots about kid!Merlin, kid!Arthur, teen!Merlin and teen! Arthur. Who knew that Merlin took care of Arthur when he was sick? Who knew that Arthur helped Merlin out when he was drunk? Who knew that Merlin helped Arthur hide from the paparazzi? These are the stories of their adventures throughout the years.
1. Tripping

**Hello, everyone! As the summary states, this will be a collection of modern day AU one-shots focusing on kid!Merlin, kid!Arthur, teen!Merlin and teen!Arthur...because I just love writing that sort of mushy stuff. I fell in love with writing kid!Merlin and kid!Arthur, so...here goes nothing! **

**Keep in mind that I may have purposefully written some grammar mistakes in kid!Arthur and kid!Merlin's words because every single kid had a few grammatical mistakes in their speech, even a young prince, I suppose. XD **

**Enjoy! **

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"Merlin, _come on!_" Five years old Arthur Pendragon yelled gleefully over his shoulder. "You're so _slow!_"

The young prince ducked in between several branches of trees and kicked up some extra dust for good measure. He had dirt on his pants and his shoes were a mess, but he didn't mind too much. Arthur was free, free, free and for once, he could run away from his tutors and lessons.

He wasn't alone, either.

"Arthur!" A dark-haired boy burst out of the bushes from behind, panting for breath. "I—told you—to wait up!"

Arthur grinned and plopped down on the dirt. The trees created a nice shade over the two boys and he waited for his friend to regain his breath.

"That was fun!" Arthur said cheerfully as the other boy sat down beside him. "Do you wanna try again, _Mer_lin?"

"_No._" Merlin gasped. He groaned and flattened himself on his back.

"Oh, come on!" Arthur whined, jumping to his feet. "I promise I'll slow down!"

Merlin closed his eyes. "You said that _last time_," he grumbled indignantly. "And the time before that, and the time before _that_, and the time before _that_—"

He was cut off by a loud sigh from Arthur.

"_Please_?" The young prince begged, kneeling beside Merlin. "_Please, please, please, please, please?_"

Merlin cracked open one eye and Arthur gave him a hopeful smile.

"Fine." The boy groaned, sitting up. "But this is gonna be the last time, right?"

"Right!" Arthur smiled, standing up.

Merlin rose to his feet reluctantly, obviously still suspicious of Arthur's potential actions.

Arthur grinned. He wouldn't lie to Merlin this time—he kept his promises.

Sort of.

Besides, Merlin was his only friend. Not that Arthur minded _that_ much. Merlin wasn't a prince, and Arthur didn't think his father liked that fact too much, but he didn't care.

"Ready?" Arthur asked cheerfully.

"No." Merlin replied flatly.

"Okay! Let's go!" Arthur yelled, already beginning to run forward.

"_Arthur!_" Merlin cried out in protest and hurried to the prince.

For some time, the two raced each other around the trees. Arthur kept his word—whenever Merlin slowed down, he would, too. Whenever Merlin was beginning to speed up, Arthur made sure that he would run at least a _bit _faster than him.

"See? It's not _that_ bad to run!" Arthur laughed.

"I guess so," Merlin's voice shook slightly with each and every stride they took.

Arthur grinned and yelled, "There's a hill up ahead! I'm gonna run for it!"

"No, Arthur—"

It was too late. The young prince had taken liberty of the slope and was already running down. For the first few seconds, Arthur let out a cry of pure gladness—he was going _so fast!_

However, when Arthur tried to slow himself halfway down the hill, he couldn't stop. He felt fear slowly trickle into his heart. He was going _too_ fast.

_Uh-oh._

"Arthur!"

The prince heard Merlin yelling from the top of the hill and quickly turned his head to risk a glance and—

There was a sudden red light that took over Arthur's field of vision and he felt pain _everywhere_. He couldn't move. He couldn't think. He couldn't even see.

"Arthur!"

There was a quick, painful skidding sound and the sound of frantic footsteps told Arthur that Merlin was by his side.

"Arthur, can you hear me? Are you okay?" Merlin asked, fear evident in his voice.

"No," the prince whimpered.

"Open your eyes." Merlin instructed.

So _that_ was why he couldn't see.

Arthur's eyes fluttered open and he saw Merlin's worried face held close to his own.

"Merlin, help." He said, his voice tight with pain. "It _hurts_."

"What hurts?" Merlin asked, already looking up and down the prince's body carefully. (Or at least, as careful as a five years old boy can possibly be.)

"_Everything_." Arthur bit his lip.

Merlin stared at Arthur with wide eyes and finally said, "Your knee is bleeding."

"It hurts."

"And so is your arm."

"That hurts, too."

Merlin looked around, as though searching for someone nearby. Once realizing that the two boys were all alone, Merlin sighed and grabbed Arthur's hand.

"Come on." He said and he gently pulled the prince to his feet.

Arthur winced and whimpered a bit more as the two trudged up the hill.

"I'm gonna _die_," Arthur mumbled dramatically, thinking about the bloody movies that he had seen his father watching. "I'm gonna die, aren't I, Merlin?"

Merlin didn't reply.

Arthur wasn't quite sure if his friend wasn't replying because he was struggling for breath, or if he simply knew that Arthur was correct.

"I'm gonna die." The five years old prince said decidedly.

"If you do, I'll never run with you again." Merlin finally replied.

Arthur stared at his friend. "_What?_" He asked, horrified.

"You heard me." Merlin answered. "If you die, I won't ever run with you again."

Arthur paused. "I better not die, then."

xXx

After some Band-Aids and a long lecture from his father and a movie with Merlin, Arthur was feeling much better.

The two boys were now sitting in Arthur's bedroom, playing with action figures and creating loud noises in the process.

"You're not dead." Merlin said matter-of-factly as Arthur's action figure saved Merlin's action figure from a horrific fall off the bed.

"Nope!" Arthur replied, scooping up the toy and handing it back to his friend.

"Good." Merlin said and rolled on his back, looking up at the ceiling. "You're not gonna almost-die again, right?"

"Nope!" Arthur said, sitting up.

A smile spread across Merlin's face. "Okay," he said cheerfully and the two went back to playing with their action figures.

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**A/N: Reviews make the world go 'round! Feedback and constructive criticism is welcome, but flames will not be tolerated. Burn your own marshmallows, please! **

**Oh, and another thing-I know that it was a bit dramatic for Arthur and Merlin to think that Arthur was 'dying', but hey, all five years old boys and girls have those dramatic moments. (I had several of those moments myself. When I was in first grade, I drew a picture of myself in a coffin. Man, I was a creepy kid. XD I scared the living crap out of my teacher.)**

**Next chapter: Eight years old Arthur Pendragon doesn't know how to survive the common cold without Merlin. **


	2. Doctor Merlin

**Yaay, back with a new chapter! Thank you so much for the great feedback and faves and follows-I wasn't very confident that this story would be very popular. :/ **

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Eight years old Arthur Pendragon usually didn't mind skipping school. He was perfectly fine with not listening to his boring tutors and writing down stupid things about arithmetic. Arthur was happy to stay in his room all day.

However, he was _furious_ when he realized that Merlin would _not_ be allowed to visit him.

"You're sick, Arthur. Don't be so unhappy." His half-sister, Morgana told him with an eye-roll when she bid him farewell before she went off to her own lessons.

"But it's not that bad!" Arthur fibbed, only shortly sneezing afterwards. He sniffed miserably and buried his head into his pillow. "Ugh."

"Bye, Arthur." He heard Morgana say quietly and the sound of his bedroom door closing told him that she had left.

Arthur rolled back over on his back and stared up at the high ceiling. He felt dreadful.

His noise was runny and itchy, his throat hurt, and every few minutes, he would have several painful coughing fits.

Arthur let out a groan and placed his hands over his eyes wearily. _This, _he thought pathetically to himself, _is going to be a long day. _

xXx

"Arthur?"

Arthur vaguely heard some quiet footsteps toward his bed.

"Arthur."

Someone shook the young prince and he blinked open his eyes. "Huh?" He looked up tiredly and a familiar face came into focus.

"Merlin!" Arthur grinned, sitting up quickly. "What are you—"

"_Sh!_" His friend lifted a finger to his lips. "The guards are looking for me."

Arthur's smile quickly faded. "What? Why?" He asked.

Merlin sheepishly shrugged. "Um…I'm not supposed to be here. Your dad didn't want me to visit so I sort of…snuck in."

The two were silent and then the prince said, "I'm just surprised you had the skill to sneak bask the guards, _Mer_lin."

Merlin rolled his eyes and sat on Arthur's bed. "Clot pole," he said affectionately as he poked him on the arm.

"_What_ did you just call me?" Arthur asked.

Merlin grinned and crossed his legs. "Clot pole." He replied matter-of-factly. "That's what you get for saying my name like that."

"Like what? Like this, _Mer_lin?" Arthur teased.

Merlin rolled his eyes again and the two boys began laughing. "Clot pole." Merlin repeated gleefully.

"_Mer_lin."

"Clot pole."

"_Mer_lin."

"Clot pole."

"_Mer_lin."

"Fine. Dollop head!"

"I'm a _what_—" Arthur didn't get to finish the rest of his sentence. He broke off, coughing loudly into his arm.

Merlin's smile faded and he quickly crawled over to Arthur's side. He placed a small hand on Arthur's trembling back and began to rub it soothingly.

"You look really bad." Merlin commented as Arthur's breathing slowly returned to its steady pace.

"Thanks." Arthur mumbled sarcastically, burrowing deeper under the covers.

Merlin shrugged and to Arthur's surprise, the dark-haired boy kicked off his sneakers and flopped underneath the blankets with the prince.

"You're gonna get sick." Arthur said, trying to shove his friend away. "And if my father catches you—"

"I don't care, Arthur." Merlin replied. "Besides, you'd be miserable if I left."

"You'll be miserable with a cold in a few days," Arthur shot back, quickly rolling away to sneeze.

"I have a strong immune system!" Merlin protested, not even bothering to scoot away.

"Are you sure about that, Merlin?" Arthur asked, face-planting into his pillow with a small groan.

"Absolutely!" Merlin replied enthusiastically. "I'll play doctor for a day!"

"You will be a miserable doctor." Arthur predicted out of the corner of his mouth.

xXx

Strangely enough, Merlin _wasn't_ that bad of a doctor. He played with Arthur throughout most of the day, kept him entertained, and was patient enough to let Arthur sleep every few hours.

Arthur had never felt better.

"Wouldn't your parents wonder where you are?" Arthur asked, stretching.

Merlin shrugged. "I don't think so." He said decidedly. "And I'm sure they wouldn't mind having me stay here for just a couple more hours."

Arthur nodded cheerfully, not bothering to think about what potential consequences might come for his friend and himself. He hung lazily upside down from his bed and grinned up at Merlin, who was flopped over on his belly.

"I'm a penguin!" Merlin warbled through the sheets as he slid down to the carpet from the bed.

Arthur laughed and said, "Penguins only live in cold places."

"So?" Merlin rubbed his head as he stood back up. "Penguins can still live here, right?"

Arthur paused. "I suppose so." He replied. He slid off his bed and shouted, "Merlin, let's go play outside!"

"Coming!" Merlin yelled in response, and the two ran outside of Arthur's bedroom with identical smiles.

xXx

The next morning, Arthur decided to call Merlin through telephone. He was feeling _much _better, and was in dire need to play. Of course, he could only do so with his best friend.

"Merlin!" Arthur said cheerfully. "D'you think you can come over?"

There was a loud sneeze on the other end of the phone and Arthur startled, staring at the device quizzically.

"Merlin?" He asked tentatively.

"Sorry, Arthur." He heard Merlin sniffing loudly. "But I think I caught your cold."

Arthur's face fell and he groaned, "I knew it!"

There was a sigh from Merlin's end and his friend simply replied, "Maybe later."

Arthur pouted and suddenly, an idea bloomed in his head. "Wait right there! Don't go anywhere!" He yelled at the phone.

"Not that I have a choice," he heard Merlin grumbling and the prince quickly hung up. Arthur, still in his pajamas, threw on his winter coat and a pair of boots. He rushed out of his bedroom and sped past Morgana, who was just walking out herself.

"Where are you going?" He heard her yelling after him.

"I'm gonna be Merlin's doctor!" Arthur shouted back.

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**A/N: Raise your hand if you ever tried to 'doctor' one of your friends. *raises hand sheepishly* It didn't go very well. I ended up getting sick, too. **

**As always, reviews would be lovely, feedback and constructive criticism are welcome, but flames are NOT. Go toast your own marshmallows~!**

**Next chapter: Ten years old Merlin is unusually shy around a certain girl. Thankfully, Arthur's there to help!**


	3. Crushing

**Hello, everyone! Back with a new chapter! **

**Warning:: This will reveal some Mergana...just a little bit. Not a lot. If you don't like Mergana, then don't read and wait for the next chapter, which will feature something different. **

**As always, reviews and feedback would be great, but flames will not be tolerated. **

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Arthur Pendragon _thought_ that Merlin was acting rather unusual when he came over to play this afternoon.

For one, he made a complete fool of himself while they were eating lunch.

"Pass the juice, will you, Merlin?" Arthur asked, stretching at the picnic table. It was springtime at last and, like every other living organism, the young Pendragon was feeling exceptionally lazy today. The sun was heating up his back and a warm breeze swept through his hair every so often.

Arthur looked at Merlin. He was sitting _very_ still, his eyes wide and flicking up and down. The pair of blue-grey irises would first hesitantly shift upwards and in the next two seconds, Merlin's eyes would flick back down at the picnic table, his pale cheeks turning into a light pink.

"_Mer_lin, did you hear me?" Arthur asked, snapping his fingers in front of his friend.

Merlin blinked out of his trance and he looked at Arthur. "What?" He asked, his voice a bit too loud.

"I asked you to pass me the juice jug." Arthur replied dryly. "You didn't acknowledge."

Merlin's cheeks became even pinker and he stammered, "Sorry." He grabbed the jug and slowly handed it over to Arthur.

The prince frowned as he poured himself some more juice. "Are you feeling alright?" He asked, concerned. "You're acting…weird. And you're all pink and everything."

Merlin rubbed the back of his neck. "What? No," he replied. "No, I'm fine. Absolutely fine."

Arthur lifted an eyebrow but shrugged. He slid the jug across the table towards Merlin when his half-sister, Morgana came bounding over.

"'lo, Morgana." Arthur said, kicking off his shoes. "Anything we can help you with?"

"I lost my dagger." Morgana replied with a grimace. "And I think I left it here. Can you two help me?"

Arthur groaned. "Morgana, it's _your_ fault that you lost it!" He said, closing his eyes dramatically.

"Of course we'll help you find it!" Arthur heard Merlin saying quietly and he uttered a loud groan.

The prince reopened his eyes to see Morgana grinning cheerfully. "Thank you, Merlin!" She said. "Can we start now?"

"'Course," Merlin repeated and he quickly stood up, spilling juice all over himself in process.

Arthur snorted into his cup and muttered, "Serves you right."

Merlin turned sharply to look at Arthur. "What was that?" He asked, grabbing some napkins to clean himself off.

"What? I didn't say anything," Arthur replied loftily, putting down his cup.

Merlin rolled his eyes but Arthur stood up. "Let's go find your stupid dagger," he said, trying to sound as bored as possible.

Morgana shook her head distastefully. "You're only saying that 'cause Merlin said that he'd help." She said. "_Merlin's _a real gentleman, you know."

Arthur stared with wide eyes as Merlin turned into a violent shade of red. "I-I'm just trying to help," he stammered.

Morgana flashed a friendly smile. "Well, thank you." She replied and ducked under the table in search of her dagger.

The second Arthur was sure that Morgana was out of ear-shot, he grabbed Merlin by the shoulders and walked him away a couple of more feet.

"W-what are you doing?" Merlin asked, puzzled. "Arthur, we're supposed to be helping—"

"You have a crush on Morgana." Arthur said dully.

Merlin's reaction was immediate. He flushed even deeper and rubbed the back of his neck. "What?" He asked. "Psh, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Merlin, we're ten. I've known you for…how long?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms.

"More than five years, that's for sure." Merlin muttered, looking down at his feet.

A smile suddenly spread across Arthur's face and he punched Merlin cheerfully on the arm.

Merlin looked up suddenly. "What was _that_ for?" He asked, hurt.

Arthur's smile faded. "It's…supposed to cheer you up." He replied.

Merlin narrowed his eyes. "How is _punching my arm _supposed to be cheerful?"

"I dunno…" Arthur mumbled and shook his head. "Off-topic. You obviously like Morgana, but you can't say a single word to her without looking like a lovesick-puppy."

Merlin winced. "Ouch."

"Oh, come on, I'm telling the truth!" Arthur replied. "If you want to impress Morgana, you have to act like a _man!_ Show her how strong you are! Make her laugh! Give her nice things!"

Merlin frowned and sat down on the ground. "But I'm _not_ strong or funny or—"

"Good point." Arthur replied, not bothering to have Merlin finish his sentence. He rubbed his brow, mulling over his thoughts and suddenly snapped his fingers.

Merlin lifted an eyebrow. "What is it?" He asked.

"When in doubt, I've seen men doing this to girls all the time." Arthur replied and without another word, he pushed Merlin towards Morgana, who was still looking under the table.

Merlin looked back at Arthur nervously.

Arthur simply flashed a thumbs-up and made a gesture to keep moving.

"Um…" Merlin swallowed and crept underneath the table. "Let's see…"

Arthur grinned and leaned against the table nonchalantly. It was dim underneath the table, and it was just perfect so that Merlin couldn't see or sense what he was about to do.

"Is that it?" Arthur heard Merlin saying to Morgana.

"No, I think that's just a pointy rock." Morgana replied patiently.

"Oh."

Arthur couldn't help but to face palm. Stupid Merlin—Arthur _knew_ that Merlin knew what Morgana's dagger looked like. The idiot was just blundering around.

The young prince squared his shoulder and gave a deep sigh. He whistled lightly under his breath and poked his head underneath the table quickly.

It only took Arthur two seconds to shove Merlin closer towards his half-sister.

Arthur quickly stood back up and pretended to examine his nails as he heard the commotion from underneath the table.

"Oof! Sorry, Morgana!" Merlin cried out.

"What? No, it's fine."

"I must've tripped or something…"

"Merlin, you're kneeling. I don't think you could have."

"…it might be possible!"

There was a small laugh coming from Morgana and she replied, "If you say so…the hug was really nice, though."

Arthur grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets as he heard Merlin continue to stutter.

_My work here is done, _he thought happily and walked away.

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**A/N: See, non-Mergana shippers? That wasn't THAT bad, now, was it? Please don't flame me if you don't like the pairing. :P To be honest, I personally don't really like the pairing, either, but I don't really ship Merlin with Freya, either. (I don't know WHO I ship Merlin with.) **

**Next chapter: Twelve year olds Merlin and Arthur get lost in the middle of the forest. What will they do? **


	4. Lost in the Forest

**Yay, new chapter! I'll admit that this chapter is a bit shorter than I wanted it to be, but I kind of got bored and the plot drifted from 'Merlin and Arthur getting lost in the forest' to simple bromance and bonding moments. XD **

**I can't help it-I'm a sucker for their friendship. Cuddling to satisfy both sides of the fandom! (Cuddling can either be seen as awesome bromance friendship or slash. You pick. However, my intention was just for friendship.)**

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"This was not my idea! You should've listened to the camp instructor!" Merlin was yelling at Arthur as the two boys trudged around the forest.

Arthur whirled around to look at Merlin and shot back furiously, "So it's _my _fault?"

Merlin threw up his hands in exasperation. "Yeah, it is!" He said. "If you would just _stay put, _then this wouldn't have happened and we wouldn't be _lost!_"

Arthur opened his mouth to make some sort of argument but closed it when not finding any. Though he didn't want to admit it, Merlin was true—if the young Pendragon _had_ just stayed where the rest of the campers were, then the two _definitely _wouldn't be walking around in circles in this bloody forest.

Merlin sighed and walked forward. "Come on," he muttered. "Maybe we can find the instructor by looking at landmarks or something."

Arthur frowned, obviously not liking the fact that his friend was suddenly the leader, but stomped after him. "Do you _remember_ what the landmarks are?" He asked.

Merlin bit his lip. "Erm…" He murmured and Arthur groaned.

"Great." He said sarcastically.

Merlin turned to look at Arthur. "Don't you start," he said threateningly, "remember whose fault it is!"

To that, Arthur glared at his friend and the two boys lapsed back into silence.

He felt, well, humiliated that something like this could possibly happen. The boys were now twelve years old, and Arthur had been hoping that he could perhaps prove to his father that a prince like him could blend in with the more 'normal' crowd.

Of course, Arthur's father had automatically disproved of the idea, but with some persuasion, he was finally able to go.

Even then, however, Arthur found himself being accompanied by several guards. So, could anyone _blame_ him for wanting some of the authorities off his back?

The camp instructor was getting on Arthur's nerves, too—ick; he never thought that he had seen _such _a suck-up in his entire life.

There was a sudden loud boom of thunder that brought Arthur out of his thoughts. He looked up to see a rather annoyed expression on Merlin's face. The dark-haired boy looked down at Arthur and muttered, "We should probably find something to hide under."

"What? It'll probably only be a bit of rain." Arthur replied confidently.

Another roll of thunder sounded and Merlin held up his finger. "Since when did a _bit_ of rain come down after thunder like _that_?" He asked.

Arthur scowled. "No need to be smart about it," he grumbled as Merlin continued his way.

Like Merlin had predicted, the rain started shortly after the thunder. Minutes later, both boys were swearing whilst trying to find somewhere to get out of the rain.

They eventually found a small cave, which they ducked into and waited for the rain to stop.

Arthur leaned against the rock wall and glared at the rain drops, as though ordering them to stop coming down from the skies.

Merlin was sitting across from Arthur, shivering pathetically and occasionally shifting from one spot to another.

Finally, Arthur sat down and started to scratch little figures on the floor of the cave. The place was almost silent. The only sounds that the young prince could hear were the sounds of rain drops hitting the ground and Merlin's chattering teeth.

Finally, Arthur looked up and said indignantly, "It's not _that_ cold, you know."

"Easy for you to say," Merlin muttered, rubbing his arms. "You've got a hot head to keep you warm."

Arthur snorted but his temporary amusement died away when he saw that Merlin was shaking much harder than what was considered normal.

He quickly scooted next to Merlin and shrugged off his jacket.

"Arthur, you don't need to—" He protested but Arthur tossed it over his friend.

"It's fine," Arthur said quickly before Merlin could argue any further. "You're doing us both a favor by keeping on the jacket—it's annoying seeing you shivering like that."

Merlin gave a forceful laugh and after some minutes, he finally mumbled, "Thanks."

"It's fine," Arthur repeated.

Merlin looked down at the cave floor and scratched the ground with his sneaker. "Arthur?" He whispered.

"Yes?"

Merlin looked up and said, "Next time, we're going to listen to the camp instructor, right?"

Arthur grinned. "That would be a good idea," he said weakly.

xXx

In a couple of hours, the camp instructor, guided with a few other rangers, stopped short in front of a cave. They found the two young boys—Prince Arthur Pendragon and the other boy…Merlin, wasn't it?—curled up together against the cave wall.

The prince had his arm slung around Merlin's shoulders, as though he was an older brother protecting a younger sibling.

The camp instructor, despite all the worry that he had been feeling before, smiled.

_Boys, _he thought to himself and walked inside to wake them up.

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**A/N: Even Arthur's suck-ups has to adore the friendship between Merlin and Arthur. XD**

**Reviews are awesome! Constructive criticism is allowed but flames are not!**

**Next chapter : Fifteen years old Merlin and Arthur are in Morgana's birthday party. In the night, they all decide to play Bed, Wed, Dead. This could only mean chaos. Featuring teen!Gwen, teen!Gawaine and teen!Lancelot, but mostly Merlin and Arthur friendship. **


	5. Bed, Wed, Dead

**YAAY! I'm back with a new chapter! I think this chapter is a *bit* longer than my usual ones, but I hope that it'll be just as enjoyable. XD **

**Oh, and I've reached 101 favorites and 97 followers in my user stats! I'm so happy and thankful-I know that some of you guys were the people who took the time to fave/follow me and it means SO FREAKING MUCH! When I reach 100 followers, I'll be posting something special. XD [Hint: MULTIFANDOM ALERT. Spoilers...! ;) (If anyone knows the Doctor Who reference I'm making, I love you. But I love all of you non-Whovian people, too. People say that if you watch Sherlock, you begin to like Doctor Who and when you like Doctor Who, you like Merlin, and when you like Merlin, you like Sherlock. IT'S THE BBC CIRCLE OF LIFE!)]**

**Aand my useless rant is over. Thanks for all the support! I shall now go write more chapters of some stories that I seriously need to update! [Procrastinator right here...*winces*]**

**One more thing-this chapter might be rated somewhere between K+ and T because...well...there's some mature jokes and well, the characters are playing Bed, Wed, Dead! XD **

* * *

Arthur Pendragon was sitting at his desk, flicking through boring programs on the television while Merlin, his best friend, was finishing up his homework on Arthur's bed.

"There's nothing good on," Arthur said dismissively, throwing the remote on the desk. "And don't tell me that you're _still _working on that essay!"

"It's important. It's worth half of our grade for this quarter," Merlin replied without looking up. "Didn't you finish up your own essays?"

Arthur snorted. "I _have_, actually." He replied.

"You didn't." Merlin murmured, keeping his eyes glued to his textbook.

Arthur scowled and then sighed. "Yeah, I didn't. But it's due in a week, so I think I have time."

Merlin grinned and shook his head. "Procrastinator," he muttered.

"I am _not!_" Arthur said crossly, throwing a baseball at Merlin but deliberately missed. The two boys both knew that Arthur could throw a baseball as accurately as he liked, but the prince wasn't _that_ annoyed with his friend.

The two lapsed back into silence and for some time, all Arthur could do was stare blankly at the rain that was falling down from outside.

He was about to suggest to go down to the kitchens when the bedroom door opened. Arthur turned around to find his sister peeking through the crack of the door.

"What are you doing, Morgana?" He asked with a scowl. "Merlin and I are busy."

Morgana Pendragon smirked. "Busy doing what?" She asked. "It was silent when I was walking down the hall."

Arthur sighed as his sister walked in. He couldn't help but to snigger quietly at Merlin, who had finally lifted his head to look up at the girl.

"Hi, Morgana," he said quietly. Arthur could already see a delicate, pink glow on Merlin's cheeks.

If Morgana noticed, she didn't say anything. She sat down on the bed next to Merlin, (_much _to his delight, Arthur could tell,) and looked 'round at the two of them.

"You know that some people are coming for my birthday party, don't you?" Morgana said, crossing her arms.

Arthur nodded. "Of course." He replied. "You wouldn't shut up about it."

Morgana rolled her eyes dramatically.

It was true, though. Their father, Uther Pendragon, had wanted a more formal birthday party for Morgana, but she had managed to persuade him to do otherwise.

"Just one party to myself, Father?" She had asked sweetly. "Just one with my friends?"

Arthur had never thought that his father would give in, but Morgana must have laid the honey on thick, because in less than a week, Morgana was sending invitations.

According to Morgana, the party wasn't going to be too big—it was just going to be a quick get-together with some close friends, (including boys, which Uther didn't quite approve of until Morgana promised to study harder in her classes,) and—

"Gwen's going to be staying for the night, too!"

Arthur blinked and looked at Morgana, who was telling Merlin excitedly about the party.

"Sounds fun," his friend told Morgana with a smile. "I know Gwen—she's from my school and she's really friendly."

Morgana smiled. "She is," she agreed. "Gwen's the only girl who hasn't run away from me _screaming_, so I thought that she ought to have some bonus points for that."

Arthur quickly swiveled his desk chair around, grabbing his notebook and pretending to be very absorbed in writing down some notes. He was aware of who Guinevere Doe was.

He was _very _aware of who she was.

Arthur felt his cheeks heating up and he glared at his paper, scribbling out some random words.

Guinevere, very much like Merlin and Arthur, had been friends with Morgana for nearly ten years now. Arthur had met her only once, but ever since then, he had been trying to catch glimpses of her whenever she came over to hang out with Morgana.

Guinevere—or, Gwen, as she called herself—had caramel colored skin with dark, frizzy hair that was often held up in a ponytail. She had large, bright brown eyes that were filled with such kindness and warmth that it made Arthur happy just _thinking_ about them.

"Arthur? Hello? Are you in there?"

Arthur blinked and shut his notebook. He turned around to see Merlin and Morgana staring at him with identically confused faces.

"And he's alive!" Merlin grinned. "You were quiet."

Arthur only managed a small shrug.

"So, all of my friends are in my bedroom and we have nothing to do and I thought that you two might have some ideas. Or even better, join in—the more, the merrier, right?" Morgana said cheerfully.

"Sorry…what?" Arthur asked, blinking.

Merlin sighed. "Morgana was telling us about how she couldn't think of any way how to entertain her friends. They spent nearly an hour talking about…well, nothing." He said with a pointed look at Arthur.

Arthur opened his mouth to protest at Merlin when the door opened.

A frizzy-haired head poked into the bedroom and a soft voice whispered, "Sorry to interrupt…Morgana, are you going to come yet? Gwaine's bored and he was trying to do the warm-water trick on Lancelot. Only, it didn't work, seeing that he was awake and all…"

"Gwen! Hi!" Merlin grinned, waving cheerfully and Arthur felt as though something lodged into his throat.

Gwen opened the door a bit wider and she smiled. "Hello, Merlin! I didn't expect to see you here—what are you exactly—"

Merlin pointed at Arthur, who was suddenly trying to hide in a book.

"Arthur!" Gwen said cheerfully. "It's nice to see you again!"

Arthur swallowed and mumbled, "Nice to see you, too, Guinevere."

Gwen smiled and then she giggled into her hand. "Tell me, Arthur…do you usually read with a book held upside-down?"

Arthur blinked and looked down at the pages. Sure enough, the words were all disoriented and when he held it out, he realized that the book really _was_ upside-down.

"Er…I was…practicing how to read upside-down." Arthur muttered, standing up and throwing the book back onto the desk. He felt the back of his neck growing warm and stuffed his hands in his pockets, for they had begun to sweat.

Merlin lifted an eyebrow but he stood up, as well. "We'd be happy to help, Morgana."

"Good!" Morgana said, clapping her hands delightfully. "Come on, then!"

Before Merlin and Arthur could react, they were being shoved out the door and stumbling into the hall with an excited Morgana and Gwen on their tails.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Morgana shoved them into her bedroom and the two boys slammed immediately into each other and fell to the floor.

"Morgana, Morgana, Morgana…is that a way how to treat your guests?" A teasing voice asked and Arthur quickly came up to his feet. Merlin, on the other hand, was being pulled upwards by a grinning, long-haired boy, who Arthur assumed was the one who had spoken.

"Thanks," Merlin said.

"No problem." The boy replied, patting Merlin on the back. "I'm Gwaine. You?"

"Merlin."

"Nice to meet you, Merlin. Morgana told us about you two." Gwaine nodded at Arthur.

Arthur managed a halfhearted smile and he walked towards the corner of the bedroom. Another boy was standing only a few feet away and he gave Arthur a warm smile. "You must be Arthur," he said, extending a hand.

"Yes," Arthur replied, shaking the hand. "And you are…?"

"Lancelot," the boy replied. "I go to school with Gwaine and Gwen and Merlin."

"You…why is it that Gwaine is only meeting Merlin for the first time, then?" Arthur asked, puzzled.

"Gwaine likes to skip classes," Lancelot replied simply. "But Merlin and I have gotten along." As if to prove his point, Lancelot waved Merlin over and the dark-haired boy grinned.

"Lancelot! I thought I heard Morgana mentioning you!" Merlin said cheerfully.

Arthur stood awkwardly at the side as the two boys began talking over things about school in loud, excited tones and he couldn't help but to feel…well, left out.

_Hello, I'm here. _He thought indignantly. _Have we met? Oh, right, now I remember. You're Merlin, my best friend. _

Thankfully, Morgana yelled, "Are you guys about to do some three-way or something? Come on, we're all waiting for you guys!"

Merlin's cheeks flushed and he replied, "Morgana, I'm not—"

"I _know_ you're not, silly," Morgana said teasingly as the boys walked over to the group of gathered teens. "Besides, I think you and Arthur would make a fine couple."

"Morgana," Arthur started to protest but his sister waved her hand carelessly.

"Enough talk, my dear brother," she said in the same airy, pompous voice. "On with the games!"

"Games?" Merlin muttered into Arthur's ear as they all sat down in a circle.

Arthur winced and glared at the carpet. Knowing Morgana, nothing good can come out of these games.

As if on cue, Morgana whispered, "We're going to play a very daring game…a very _naughty _game that my father most _definitely _would not approve of."

"I like this game already," Gwaine said with a wide grin.

Morgana pretended to blow him a kiss and tapped the carpet with a manicured finger. "We're going to playing Bed, Wed, Dead." She whispered.

The reaction was almost immediate.

Everyone gasped or giggled or blushed…except for Merlin.

"What's Bed, Wed, Dead?" He asked, puzzled.

Gwaine's mouth dropped open. "How do you not know—"

"Merlin's innocent," Morgana chirped. "Isn't that so sweet?"

"Too bad that it's going to be leaving him after tonight," Gwaine sniggered.

Merlin raised his eyebrows, looking faintly alarmed. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

Despite himself, Arthur smiled. He turned to Merlin and said, "It's just a game, Merlin. You're not going to really…lose your innocence. Not all of it, anyways."

"You'll still be a virgin." Gwaine said with a wink.

To this, Merlin's face turned scarlet and he looked at the carpet as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. Arthur couldn't help but to feel sorry for his friend.

"It's not that bad," Arthur said quickly. "Someone will be telling you three names and you have to decide which one you'd marry, which one you'd kill, and—"

"Which one you'd get dirty with." Gwaine interrupted with a mischievous smile.

Arthur harrumphed and turned to him. "You really don't know when to stop, now, do you?"

"Not knowing when to stop is a gift of mine, my friend." Gwaine said cheekily, casually leaning against the bedframe behind him.

Morgana smirked and she extended her hands. "Let the game begin!" She cried gleefully.

She then looked around the circle with sneaky, sly glances and she pointed at Arthur. "Let's get to you, first, brother mine," Morgana said enthusiastically.

"Wonderful." Arthur muttered dryly and he heard Merlin chuckling underneath his breath at his reaction. Arthur poked Merlin in the ribcage teasingly before saying, "Get on with it, Morgana."

Morgana smiled and with a toss of her hair, she declared, "Merlin, Gwen, and Lancelot."

Merlin blinked and he murmured, "Two out of three of them are men. Arthur, you're going to have to either marry or…you know, have _it_ with one of the guys."

Gwaine barked out a laugh and pointed at Merlin. "This guy," he said in between laughs, "this guy is a _riot_."

Merlin smiled, though it was a confused one, and looked back at Arthur, who rolled his eyes.

"I'd…" Arthur glanced at Gwen, who was staring at him with amused eyes. He felt his heart skipping a couple of beats and heat started to crawl up his cheeks. "I…um…"

Morgana sighed loudly. "Any day now, Arthur, dearest." She said.

Arthur closed his eyes and said quickly, "I'd-kill-Lancelot-and-marry-Gwen-and-um-um-um-do-you-know-what-with-Merlin."

Morgana clapped her hands happily and said, "I knew—wait, you'd marry Gwen?"

"You'd kill Lancelot? But Lancelot is _good!_" Gwaine said, shocked.

"You'd…have…what?" Merlin murmured, looking dazed.

Arthur groaned and face palmed. "Morgana, this is exactly why I wouldn't want to play your games."

Morgana blinked and looked at Gwen, who happened to be looking at a particular window.

"Gwen?" Morgana asked incredulously.

"I think it'll be my turn, right?" Gwen said, still focusing on the window.

Arthur blinked and felt his heart do a little dance. If Gwen was nervous, then maybe she, too felt the same—

Gwen looked away from the window and stared unblinkingly at Lancelot. "Morgana, Percival, and me."

There was a small sound in the corner and both Arthur and Merlin startled.

Another teenager was sitting in the circle, although Arthur had not noticed him in the first place. He had close cropped, blond hair and had a muscular build. When he came into the light, Arthur could tell that he was rather tall.

It was a wonder that he hadn't seen him until now.

"Percival's quiet," Morgana said to Merlin and Arthur's confused expressions.

"Oh." Merlin mumbled.

Lancelot, meanwhile, was looking unfazed and calm in the face of Gwen's names.

"I'd marry Gwen, kill Percival and I suppose I'd end up doing…it with Morgana." Lancelot said quietly.

"If you had to?" Morgana asked.

"Yes."

"Good. You're too much of a goody-goody for me," Morgana said with a grin.

If Lancelot heard Morgana, he didn't show it. He was staring at Gwen, who, surprisingly, was blushing and casually tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Arthur watched the two and his heart sank.

Maybe Gwen didn't feel the same way, after all.

He suddenly felt Merlin nudging him.

"What?" Arthur asked tiredly.

Merlin gestured outside. "You wanna talk?" He murmured. "I think we—I mean, I—need to get some fresh air."

Arthur felt a sudden rush of gratitude for his friend. He nodded slowly and Merlin smiled.

"Come on, then," Merlin said and the two stood up.

"Aw, leaving already?" Morgana asked with a pout.

"We'll be back. Merlin…just…we…forgot something in our room and we think it'd be best to get it done now." Arthur replied. He wasn't in the mood to tell his sister that he and Merlin needed to go out for fresh air—he was almost absolutely sure that Morgana would make a scene.

Morgana sighed. "Fine, whatever," she said, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Go get whatever you have to do done…but you better get your asses back here or else things aren't going to end well."

"Love you too, Morgana," Arthur replied sarcastically before heading out the door.

Merlin followed him out and for a while, the two didn't say anything as they walked down the hall.

Once they reached Arthur's room, Merlin crossed his arms and said, "Out with it."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Out with what?" He asked. "I thought that _you_ wanted some air, not me."

"We both know that you're an awful liar, Arthur—something was wrong." Merlin said quietly. "What is it?"

Arthur sat down at his desk and shrugged. "Wrong? Nothing's wrong," he replied.

Merlin harrowed his eyes at Arthur. "Have I mentioned how bad you were at lying?" He asked.

"I think you have."

"So are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"There's nothing going on."

"You're already a prat—don't be a liar, too!"

"I'm not lying!"

"Oh, so I suppose that I just happened to see you look all sad and moody when we were in Morgana's room?" Merlin asked with a glare.

Arthur blinked, taken aback by the sudden indignance in Merlin's voice and crossed his arms. "Yeah, I suppose you have." He replied.

Merlin frowned and then with a tired sigh, rubbed his brow. When he spoke, the temporary anger had faded away.

"Arthur, I've known you for a while." He said quietly. "Do you really expect me not to notice anything?"

"Notice what?" Arthur asked.

"You and Gwen?" Merlin said with a small smile. "I'm not blind, Arthur, and neither is the rest of us. Everyone can see how much you _like_ her—even a blind man can see it!"

Arthur felt his face heat up and he mumbled, "Gwen has something with Lancelot."

Merlin let out a laugh and shook his head. "You haven't seen Gwen in school," he said. "She's always asking me about you, always blushing whenever she talks about you…"

Arthur felt as though his heart was suddenly doing jumping-jacks. "Really?" He asked, and, realizing that his voice had gone an octave higher, cleared his throat.

"I mean…actually?"

Merlin grinned. "Of course," he said. "And I'm pretty sure that she's been liking you since we were little kids, too."

Arthur let a smile take over his face, but it quickly left. His shoulders sagged and he murmured, "My father wouldn't ever allow it. He'd be horrified if I went out with…well…a commoner."

Merlin frowned. "You're friends with me, aren't you? And Morgana's friends with Gwen, isn't she? So, why should this be any different—"

"It doesn't work that way, Merlin." Arthur said, standing up. "My father expects me to…marry—"

"Wait—you want to _marry_ Gwen?" Merlin's eyebrows jumped to his hairline.

Arthur felt his face heat up even more. "No!" He stammered. "I mean, yes! Actually, I don't know!"

With a growl of frustration, Arthur punched at a pillow on his bed and flopped down on the mattress, staring up at the ceiling. "I really don't know," he said quietly. "But Morgana's party is…screwing me up. Guinevere won't even _look _at me…not really."

He felt Merlin sitting down next to him and within seconds, his friend had his hand placed on Arthur's shoulder.

"Baby steps first," he said calmly. "You'll get around this—I'm sure that you can be able to date...and maybe even marry Gwen in the future."

Arthur looked up at Merlin and mumbled, "Thank you."

Merlin smiled. "You did the same thing to me with Morgana, remember?" He asked.

Arthur smirked. "Of course I remember." He said quietly. "You were blushing like an idiot."

"Well, you're blushing like an idiot right now." Merlin laughed and then shook his head. "Arthur, it'll be fine. I'll help."

Arthur grinned and sat up. "Just…don't make me do anything…_silly_, alright?"

Merlin laughed. "Who, me?" He asked lightly, jumping off the bed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

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**A/N: Did I weird ya'll out with the Bed-Dead-Wed game? Don't take it too seriously-it's just a humorous game. **

**Oh, and if anyone is curious, NO, this story will not turn into a Merthur. I'll keep it a bromance level. Maybe some handshakes, maybe some hugs, (scratch that...knowing myself, I'll DEFINITELY PUT IN SOME HUGS!)** **but no kisses/lemons stuff. Sorry, Merthur shippers! **

**Next chapter: [Ready to go back in time? I think I might have broken the rules 'cause I'm gonna go back a bit...] Eight years old Merlin is confused why Arthur couldn't play outside. [Loosely based on Frozen's song 'Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?']**


	6. Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

**Since chapter five was really long, this chapter is fairly short. I think it's a bit shorter than I had planned, but I still had fun writing this chapter. :) **

**Reviews are beautiful! **

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"Arthur?"

Arthur closed his book and sighed loudly into his arms. Merlin was at his door _again. _He couldn't help but to feel a bit annoyed—they were eight years old. Merlin should know that he was busy. Sort of.

Not really.

He just didn't really want to talk to anyone at the moment. Not after the _discussion _that Arthur's father gave him.

_"__You need to be careful with who you associate yourself with, Arthur." His father had said. _

_"__Why? Merlin's my best friend." Arthur protested. _

_"__He is a subject, nothing more." The king replied firmly. "You can be friendly towards him, but you cannot see him as a possible equal." _

The discussion with his father had left Arthur disturbed. He loved his father very much, but at the same time, he couldn't help but to wonder how he could possibly tell Arthur to stop being friends with Merlin.

After all, they had been friends since they were about five years old—how could Arthur's father expect him to cut off the friendship so easily?

Arthur just wasn't sure who to believe.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?" Merlin asked hopefully, snapping Arthur out of his thoughts. "Come on, let's go and play!"

When Arthur didn't respond, Merlin went on with, "I never see you anymore! Come out the door, it's like you've gone away!"

_True. _Arthur thought to himself and flopped onto his bed. But he really didn't want to talk to Merlin right now…

"We used to be best buddies…" Merlin said, his voice quieter now and Arthur heard a small sliding sound. Knowing his friend, Merlin had probably slid to the ground against the door or something.

"And now we're not."

Arthur felt a stab of guilt. No, they were still friends, right?

"I wish you would tell me _why!_"

_I just don't want to play! _Arthur thought indignantly and he walked over to his desk, pulling out a book that his tutor had given him to look through. His father had been making sure that he was paying more attention to lessons these days—something to do with being a prince and needing to learn how to become a proper leader.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?" Merlin asked lightly through the door. "It doesn't have to be a snowman!"

Arthur sighed and closed his book. "Go away, Merlin!"

There was a small silence on the other side of the door and Arthur could almost see Merlin's shoulders slumping.

"Okay, bye…" Merlin mumbled and the sound of footsteps told Arthur that his friend had left.

Heavy-hearted, Arthur reopened his book and glared at the black, imprinted letters on the pages. Strangely enough, the corners of the pages were slowly becoming blurred.

xXx

Almost a week later, Merlin had returned to Arthur's door. He knocked cheerfully and sang cheerfully, "Do you wanna build a snowman? Or ride some bikes around the halls?"

Arthur couldn't help but to laugh lightly about the idea—it actually seemed fun. He stood up but suddenly sat back down.

He stared at the door and bit down on his lip. His father had reminded him about the duties that a prince had.

Arthur couldn't talk to Merlin, not now.

"I think some company is overdue—I started talking to the paintings on the walls!" Merlin continued. "It gets a little lonely, all these empty days, just watching the hours pass by!"

There was a small thumping sound and Arthur assumed that his friend had slumped down to the floor again.

The young Pendragon took a deep breath and flopped his head in a pillow. He didn't really want to hurt Merlin's feelings, but at the same time, he wanted to make his father proud.

A few minutes passed and with a start, Arthur realized that Merlin had still not moved from the door. He sighed and slid off his bed.

_I'm only going to tell him that I'm busy, _he thought to himself as he opened the door.

However, that thought immediately emptied as Merlin bounced to his feet and threw his arms around Arthur's neck.

"There you are!" He said gleefully and Arthur blinked, stunned by his friend's reaction.

For one hazy second, Arthur remembered that he had to tell Merlin that he needed to get back to reviewing and studying for the upcoming lessons.

_That doesn't matter now, _he thought as he hugged his friend back.

Right now, at this moment, Merlin seemed more important to him than being a prince.

* * *

**A/N: Before anyone can tell me how being eight years old is awfully young for a boy to begin studying so hard, I read and heard that children of the royal family are usually taught manners and etc. I'm not really sure how much of it is properly true, (some of the info that I got was from a librarian who had a big interest in these sort of things...she might have been exaggerating a bit, but then again, I'm not a big history buff. XD) **

**In fact, the other night, my mother was telling me how kindergartners in South Korea (as well as other places in the world,) were starting to study until about eleven p.m. Is that insane or what?! O.o **

**Anyways, I need your help! I really want to continue this story, but I also want to write more of kid!Merlin and kid!Arthur before moving onto the teen!Merlin and teen!Arthur part of the story. If you have an idea for the next chapter, please, please, please write it in the review! :) **

**And now, to end the chapter, please review and give feedback! Constructive criticism is great, but flames aren't. XP **


	7. Happy Birthday

**This was requested by Ghetta90 - thank you so much for the support! **

**Again, this is probably one of my shorter chapters - sorry! *winces* I've been real busy (schoolwork...ugh...) so I'm not at the top of my game. However, summer is just a couple of weeks away! YAAAY! :) **

**Enjoy! **

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Ten years old Merlin Emrys was confused with why there were so many people in the mansion wearing the color _black. _He stared at the people quizzically – this was Arthur Pendragon's home, and it was his birthday.

Did Arthur ask everyone to wear the color black?

_I hope not, _Merlin thought anxiously, looking at his own outfit. None of his clothes were black or even _resembled _the color black and he certainly didn't want to disappoint his best friend on his _birthday. _

He ran down the hall and when finding Arthur's bedroom, he pushed open the door with a bright smile.

"Happy birthday, Arth –" He stopped abruptly when he noticed that Arthur was sitting in his bed, his blankets over his legs and still in pajamas.

Merlin's smile faded away quickly and he ran over to his friend's bed.

"Arthur, are you sick? Why are you still in your pajamas?" Merlin asked anxiously, shaking Arthur's arm.

Arthur blinked and quickly pulled away his arm. "No," he mumbled. "I'm not sick."

Merlin let out a sigh of relief and hopped onto Arthur's bed. "Then why are you still here? It's your birthday – don't you wanna go outside?"

The prince shrugged and buried himself deeper into the covers. "I'm tired," he said quietly.

"Tired?" Merlin asked, shocked. In all of his years of being Arthur's friend, he never, ever, _ever_ heard Arthur telling him that he was just _tired_.

No, Merlin refused to believe that his friend was telling the truth.

Merlin shifted his position on the bed and crossed his arms. "Is everything okay?" He asked slowly.

Arthur nodded slowly. "Yes," he murmured, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "Everything's fine."

Those words had barely escaped Arthur's lips when a tear started to slide down his cheek. Merlin's eyes widened and he said quietly, "You know, we don't _have_ to go outside if you don't want to."

Arthur scrubbed away the tear with a hand and shook his head. "It's not that." He said and Merlin watched as more tears fell down Arthur's face.

Merlin scooted closer to his friend and wordlessly opened up his arms.

Arthur didn't waste another second – he launched himself into Merlin's arms and buried his head on his shoulder.

Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur and was surprised to feel his body shaking. He could feel Arthur's tears spilling onto the shoulder of his shirt, but he didn't really mind.

"It's okay," he said quietly. "Arthur, it's okay."

Arthur cried harder into Merlin's shoulder and in response, Merlin hugged his friend tighter. He rocked back and forth gently, as his own mother had done to him when he was having a bad day.

"Calm down…ssh…" Merlin whispered soothingly.

Arthur sniffled and looked up, his blue eyes still watery with tears. Merlin was suddenly reminded how ice looked right before it broke – and realized with a start that Arthur's eyes were reminding him of that particular image.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Merlin asked slowly.

"Father told me that Mother died today," Arthur whispered, his voice hollow.

Merlin blinked and replied, "But I thought she died when you were a couple of days old –"

"Father lied about that." Arthur said, his voice cracking. "He told me that he was planning on telling me when I was older. Merlin, my mother died giving _birth _to me."

Merlin quickly brought Arthur in his arms again as his friend started to cry once more.

"She died because of me, Merlin!" Arthur cried, his voice filled with anger and sadness. "She died because she was trying to _give birth to me!" _

Merlin gently rubbed his hand over Arthur's back. He wasn't quite sure what to say without thinking that it might be wrong – how would _he_ feel if he found out that his mother died whilst giving birth to him?

Thankfully, Merlin's mother wasn't dead – she was very much alive, but that didn't help the situation at hand. Merlin sighed and said slowly, "It wasn't your fault, Arthur."

Arthur didn't reply – Merlin could only hear him sniffling.

He didn't really mind. He would stay for as long as Arthur needed him.

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**A/N: Again, this isn't exactly my best chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it, anyways. I think there's another story about this situation, only it's by Laree England...I think. Her stories are awesome, by the way! :) **

**As always, please review - constructive criticism is welcome, but flames are not. **


	8. Sunscreen

**Hello, everyone! Back with a new chapter, yay! Now, I was originally going to have this chapter with Arthur and Merlin around ten years old, but I changed it because I felt like Arthur sounded too mature for this chapter. So, the boys are fourteen years old here. :) **

**And I ****_also _****meant for this chapter to be funny and cute but I sort of ended up making the guys hug 'cause I just love this bromance too much. Don't judge m! *runs away* **

**Enjoy! **

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Arthur Pendragon couldn't remember when he disliked going to the beach. He had fond memories of going into the water and staying in it until he had turned blue from the cold. He would later run out to the sand and play in it until he was hot enough to go back into the water.

However, if there was _one _thing he hated about going to the beach, it was putting on _sunscreen. _

Arthur supposed it made him sound like a baby, but even now at the age of fourteen, he hated the feeling of the ointment being spread across his back, even if it was by his best friend.

"Hold still, Arthur!" Merlin chided, slapping some more sunscreen on Arthur's bare back. "It'll take longer if you keep moving around!"

"I can't help it! It's…oogh…" Arthur squirmed around as Merlin spread the sunscreen around his back. "Are you done yet?"

Merlin sighed and handed Arthur the tube of sunscreen. "You can do your own face, I think." He said.

Arthur nodded and shook some of the stuff onto the palm of his hand. He cringed at it and with his eyes squeezed shut, slapped it onto his cheeks. He heard Merlin laughing and Arthur opened his eyes. "What?" He asked, bewildered.

Merlin grinned. "You look like you have war paint on." He replied in between laughs.

Arthur narrowed his eyes and dabbed the remaining sunscreen on his friend's cheeks.

"Hey!" Merlin yelled in protest and this time, it was Arthur's turn to laugh. He grinned and said, "Now _you _look like you have war paint!"

Merlin stuck out his tongue and rubbed the sunscreen into his skin. Arthur smirked and continued to rub his own sunscreen in when a sudden, stinging sensation in his eye caused him to cry out.

"What is it?" Merlin asked, staring at Arthur with wide eyes. "Are you okay?"

Arthur tried opening one of his eyes and automatically felt tears filling it. He made a small whimpering sound and mumbled, "There's something in my eye."

Merlin frowned and stepped up to Arthur's face, his blue-grey eyes examining Arthur intently. He stepped back and said, "I think you put sunscreen in your eye."

"Why would I do that?" Arthur grumbled, lifting his hand to rub his eye. However, before he could reach his eye, Merlin grabbed his wrist and lowered it.

"You can't rub it, Arthur—it'll only get worse." Merlin said worriedly. "We'll have to find another way to get the sunscreen out of your eyes."

"Great," the prince muttered sarcastically. "Any ideas on _how_ to get it out?"

Merlin bit his lower lip in concentration. "We can always try eye-drops…" He murmured thoughtfully but Arthur shook his head.

"I can't open the eye, Merlin." He said sadly. To prove his point, Arthur tried opening the eye, only forcing himself to close it because of the stinging sensation that followed shortly after.

Merlin winced and then snapped his fingers. "The sunscreen can come out if you cry!" He said. "The…the thing will come out with the tears."

"And _who _did you learn _that _from?" Arthur asked, already doubting the plan. He wasn't really thrilled to find out what possible ideas might be going around Merlin's head to get the prince to cry.

"Gaius." Merlin replied simply. "We talk sometimes, you know."

"Gaius, of course," Arthur replied. Gaius had been the court physician for as long as Arthur could remember, and though he was a kind, old man, Arthur could never question his ideas or thoughts.

Merlin sat down on the sand and said, "Think of the saddest thing that could ever happen to you."

Arthur pictured Merlin dying. His heart sank automatically—he didn't like this idea at all.

"Are you imagining it?" Merlin asked.

Arthur managed a small nod.

"Make it sadder."

"How on earth am I supposed to make it sadder?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shrugged. "Find a way."

Arthur blinked and shook his head quickly. "I'm _not _going to think about stuff like that, Merlin," he said firmly. "There should be another way."

Merlin blinked and shrugged. "We can always try splashing water on your eyes."

Arthur nodded. "Splashing water, it is," he said.

Merlin nodded and dug a water bottle out of his bag. He popped open the cap and before Arthur could say anything else, his friend splashed the water into his eyes.

Arthur sputtered and coughed, surprised by the sudden action and gasped, "I wasn't ready!"

"Sorry." Merlin replied with a wince. "Is it working?"

Arthur tried to open his eye and when he failed, he shook his head. "No," he muttered sadly.

Merlin sighed and tossed the water bottle back into his bag. "The other method can work." He pointed out. "We can't open your eye to put in the eye-drops, we can't get the sunscreen out with water…"

The prince's heart sank even lower. "Do we have to?" He asked fearfully. "I don't really want to."

Merlin sighed. "Oh, come on, you prat, do you want to see or not?"

Arthur bit his lip but gave a small, reluctant nod.

"There we go, then!" Merlin said triumphantly and crossed his arms. "Go on, think about the saddest thing and cry."

The prince squeezed his other eye shut and pictured Merlin's stiff, dead body again. He was surprised to see how vivid the image was—he never thought that he had such an imagination until now.

_Arthur walked up to Merlin's limp body slowly. His friend's skin was ashen and his eyes were blank and glassy. Arthur sat down next to Merlin and whispered, "Merlin?" _

_Merlin did not reply. _

_Arthur couldn't believe it. Was he really dead? Was he really…gone? He lowered his ear to Merlin's mouth and watched his chest for any movement—any at all. _

_When he didn't hear or feel or see any signs that Merlin was alive, Arthur sat back up and stared at his friend's body blankly. _

_"__Merlin?" He whispered again, this time, in a strange, strangled voice. Arthur gathered his friend in his arms and buried his head in Merlin's shoulder. _

_"__Don't go." Arthur mumbled as tears started to fall from his eyes. "Please, don't go. Merlin, you can't leave me. Not now. Please." _

"Arthur? Arthur, are you alright?"

Arthur snapped open his eyes—both of them—and looked up at a stunned Merlin. The prince brought a tentative hand to his eyes and rubbed at them, surprised to not feel any sting afterwards. He smiled to himself—it worked.

Huh.

He looked back up at Merlin, who was staring at him with a peculiar expression.

"What?" Arthur asked.

Merlin frowned. "Are you alright? You were just…really crying." He said quietly. "It was…sad."

Arthur felt a sudden stab and managed a small shrug. "You told me to picture something sad, and that's just what I did." He replied calmly.

Merlin lifted an eyebrow. "Must have been a pretty sad thing if you were crying that hard."

Arthur was crying really hard?

Damn.

"What were you even thinking about?" Merlin asked curiously. Arthur looked up at his friend and opened his mouth, only to look back down at the ground. He looked up again, but just as he did, he was forced to stare down at the sand.

This procedure went on for a couple more minutes before Arthur finally said, "I thought about what would happen if I saw that you were dead."

There was a small silence and for once, Merlin didn't have anything to say.

Arthur, still staring at the ground, muttered, "I know it's stupid, but you told me to picture the saddest thing that would happen to me, so—Merlin!"

He was quickly cut off as Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck. "Shut up, you prat," Merlin said affectionately. "Do you really think that I'm that easy to get rid of?"

Arthur managed a small smile and hugged his friend back. He couldn't help it, really. Even though they were both much too old for hugs, Arthur didn't mind it so much, especially since it was Merlin.

* * *

**A/N: Just because I hate sunscreen, (ugh, I once got it in my eye...hurts like hell...-.-) and because I just wanted more hugging. XD I guess I went a *bit* overboard with the entire Arthur-imagining-Merlin-dead-scenerio, but again, I couldn't help myself. *winces* **

**Reviews are great, and so is constructive criticism. However, I will not tolerate flames. Go to Morgana (the evil Morgana, not the kind and loving Morgana, mind you,) and join her if you want to flame someone. **

**Next chapter : Twelve years old Merlin and Arthur go camping. Arthur is bitten by a lot of mosquitoes and thinks that Merlin can help him with this situation.  
**


	9. Mosquitoes

**I must really be going out of my mind - I'm updating this story ****_at midnight on a school night. _****O.O And tomorrow, I have a humongous Earth Science lab practical. O.O **

**However, I didn't want to leave you guys hanging and so...here I am! **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

"It was _your _idea to go camping here, Arthur," twelve years old Merlin said calmly as he pulled out a book in the tent.

Arthur Pendragon whacked at his arm (again) and scowled at his friend, who was now rifling through the pages with an interested smile on his face.

"I didn't know that there'd be so many mosquitoes!" Arthur complained loudly, sitting up in his sleeping bag. He scratched at one particularly nasty bite on his arm, which was slowly growing to the size of a small robin's egg.

"Don't itch," Merlin murmured, flipping through yet another page. "If you itch it, it'll only hurt more and then you'll complain tomorrow even more than you are now."

Arthur groaned loudly and threw his pillow at his friend, who dropped his book in surprise.

"What?" Merlin asked, blinking owlishly at Arthur. "I'm sorry, Arthur, but I can't do anything about it except spray on more of that bug-repellant stuff that you hate so much."

Arthur sighed and scooted over to Merlin, burying his head in the other boy's pillow. "This is awful," he moaned. "Why did we choose this spot?"

"_You _chose this spot, Arthur," Merlin pointed out, but placed a reassuring hand on Arthur's back to tell him that he felt sorry for him. "And it was your idea to go camping in the first place. I wanted to stay home and work on schoolwork, remember?"

Arthur snorted. "Are you telling me that schoolwork is better than getting fresh air?" He asked incredulously.

"It's better than getting bitten by mosquitoes all day and night," Merlin replied pointedly and Arthur slumped over the pillow again.

"Good point." He muttered and felt the small sting of a mosquito biting the back of his neck. Arthur slapped the skin angrily but it was too late – he could already feel the smooth bump of the bite forming.

He groaned loudly and said, "I hate mosquitoes! Why won't they leave me alone?"

"Who knows," Merlin replied, shifting his position on his sleeping bag. "Maybe they like you."

Arthur sat up and frowned. "Well, why don't they like _you?" _He asked, pointing at Merlin. Strangely enough, his friend's pale skin remained as smooth as ever and there weren't any signs of mosquito bites anywhere.

Lucky.

Merlin shrugged. "I don't know," he replied thoughtfully, re-opening his book. "Bugs have never really bothered me. Except spiders. Ergh."

Arthur snorted – it was true. His friend was terrified of spiders. Once, the two boys had found a spider in the bathtub and it took a while, but Arthur had finally managed to scoop the spider up and release it back outside, while Merlin had stood by with wide eyes.

"How big was that spider?" Merlin had squeaked when they had found it.

Arthur smirked at the memory and replied, "Maybe a spider will crawl into the tent and bite you."

Merlin squired, visibly discomforted by the image. "_Stop that,_" he said crossly, snapping his book shut. "I want to go sleep with_out _feeling scared, thank you very much."

"Just think about it," Arthur went on cheerfully, "a big, hairy spider with big, hairy legs and – hey!"

The prince was abruptly cut off by a pillow chucked to his face. He tumbled backwards and heard Merlin laughing loudly in the background.

"Not funny!" Arthur yelled, throwing his pillow back on the sleeping bag and launching himself at the dark-haired boy. He tumbled over Merlin, his arms locked over Merlin's back. His friend yelled out in protest and shouted, "You brought up the spider!"

"Only because you weren't getting bitten by any mosquitoes!"

"Is that my fault?"

Arthur paused. "No," he said and blinked. "But it's annoying!"

"You're such a clot pole!"

"Am not!"

"You are, too!"

Arthur growled loudly in Merlin's ear and the two were back to rolling around the tent, yelling insults at each other.

Finally, the tent flap opened and Gaius, the court physician, stuck his head inside. "What are you two boys doing?" He asked incredulously. "You should be sleeping! It's nearly midnight!"

Immediately, several mosquitoes flew into the tent and Arthur screamed, "Gaius, the mosquitoes! We'll go to bed, just –"

"Ouch!" Merlin cried out, slapping his hand over his leg. He winced and rubbed at the spot. He frowned and mumbled, "That hurt."

Arthur frowned. "What is it?" He asked worriedly.

"It was probably a mosquito," Gaius said. "The campsite is filled with them. I suggest that you two should put on some of the bug spray before sleeping. Good night, you two. I better not hear any more from you for tonight."

"Yes, Gaius," the two boys chorused and as soon as the tent flap closed, Arthur turned back to his friend.

"Did you really get bitten by a mosquito?" He asked.

Merlin's hand slid away, revealing a small, red bump on his knee. "Does that look like a bite to you?" He asked miserably.

Arthur grinned. He couldn't help himself. He huddled underneath his sleeping bag and said, "Just don't itch it."

For a minute, there was silence.

Then, the two boys burst out into a fit of laughter that forced Gaius to tell them to go back to sleep.

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**A/N: This definitely wasn't as long as I had hoped, but I hope you guys enjoyed it, anyways! Review, give constructive criticism, but no flames, please!**

**Next chapter : [requested by battlemaiden518] Fifteen years old Merlin and Arthur get into a rather large, messy fight. Will the two make up? **


	10. Of Arguments and a Swollen Foot

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with a new chapter of ****_He's My Friend!_**

**This chapter was requested by battlemaiden518. Thank you for the support, m'dear! :)**

**I wasn't really sure what kind of fight Merlin and Arthur would be having, but this popped into my head first. Warning : Contains some Mergana. No lemons or whatever, but if you don't like Mergana, skip the bits with Mergana and just go straight to the Merlin and Arthur cuteness. **

**With that said, enjoy!**

* * *

Arthur Pendragon had come to expect a lot of things from his best friend, Merlin. It wasn't very strange – the two young boys had known each other since they were nearly five years old, and now, at the age of fifteen, Arthur felt as though he knew Merlin like he did with the back of his hand.

Arthur had come to know Merlin's habits and ways over the time that the two had been friends. If the young Pendragon found out that Merlin had fallen down the stairs on the way to the bedroom, he wouldn't have been very surprised.

If he found out that Merlin had been accepted to one of the world's most famous colleges early, Arthur wouldn't have been very surprised.

Hell, if he found out that Merlin had crashed a car into a tree, Arthur wouldn't have even batted an eyelash, because that's just how well he knew his friend. (However, Arthur suspected that he _would _feel a bit worried if Merlin _did _crash a car into a tree…)

However, Arthur did _not _expect to find Merlin kissing his _half-sister_ in the living room.

Arthur knew that Merlin crushed on Morgana Pendragon – he really did. In fact, Arthur remembered _purposely _pushing Merlin into Morgana underneath a table back when they were younger.

But Arthur never knew that Merlin would…well, actually making his own move on her!

Of course, that sounded a bit pathetic, really. Arthur should be happy for Merlin – his friend was finally getting out of his shell and taking a few steps forward.

Then, why did he feel so annoyed?

It had all come so fast, for one. Arthur had been told that Merlin would be visiting after tutoring some other students, (Arthur wasn't surprised – Merlin was always one of the brightest boys he knew, though he would never admit it out loud,) and for three entire hours, Arthur had done nothing except lounge around his room and wait.

Finally, Arthur decided to go downstairs and maybe head to the library in the large mansion that he lived in. Of course, Arthur wasn't very interested in reading at the moment, but he figured that it was better than not doing anything at all.

Then, as Arthur made his way across the hall to the library, he saw it.

The living room door was open by a small crack but the noises coming from inside made Arthur freeze in his tracks. He frowned and pressed one of his ears against the door.

See, Arthur had thought he heard _kissing _sounds – the gasp for air, the lips touching against someone else's, the entire nine yards.

Arthur wondered who the mysterious kissers were – it couldn't be his father, seeing that he hadn't picked up a girlfriend or shown any interest in other women, and it couldn't be the servants, since they knew better than to kiss in the living room of the royal family.

So, that only left his sister, Morgana.

Arthur slowly slid down to his knees and peered in through the crack between the doors. He made out the couch and, sure enough, sitting on it, was a familiar, curly, dark-haired head bobbing up and down passionately. Arthur grimaced. He started to stand up only to slide back down to the floor again, for something else had caught his eye.

First, Arthur's eyes widened.

Then, his mouth dropped open.

He closed his mouth.

And his jaw clenched.

And he glared.

Why was he reacting like this?

It was because he had seen _Merlin – his _Merlin – sitting up and kissing Morgana's lips. Judging by his position, Arthur guessed that Merlin had been on the floor.

Merlin and Morgana were rocking back and forth on the couch, their eyes closed and their hands resting on each other's shoulders, neck…just about anywhere.

Arthur couldn't take it any longer.

He quickly stood up and slammed the doors opened with a loud, angry _bang!_

Merlin and Morgana's reactions were immediate. They quickly separated and tried to look casual.

Well, Morgana succeeded – all signs of pleasure quickly vanished from her face and she pretended to be interested in her nails.

Merlin, however, wasn't quite as good as acting as Arthur's half-sister. He yelped in surprise and slid off the couch.

"Arthur!" The dark-haired boy exclaimed from the carpet, looking up at the prince with a sheepish smile. "Er…how are you?"

For a second, Arthur couldn't breathe. Was Merlin actually trying to act casual about this situation? Was Merlin thinking that he could actually _get away _with this?

Merlin, looking up at Arthur properly for the first time, frowned. "Arthur? Are you alright?"

Morgana stood up. She seemed to already know what Arthur was about to do.

_Good, _Arthur thought angrily to himself. He took a couple of steps towards the two.

"Merlin, you might want to take a couple of steps back," Morgana murmured, clasping her hands behind her back. Her eyes met Arthur's and for a second, the young prince could have sworn he saw fear in his half-sister's eyes.

Then again, Arthur might have imagined it, because as quickly as the look came, it went.

Merlin didn't take heed in Morgana's warning. Instead, he simply stared back at Arthur, his feet rooted to the ground. His face was pale and his hands were clasped together, but Merlin's voice was steady when he spoke.

"Arthur, please say something." He said quietly. "You're not acting like yourself. We can talk somewhere else, if you want."

Arthur couldn't bring himself to speak. He managed to give a small, single nod. He quickly strode back out of the living room, not bothering to wait for Merlin. He heard his friend murmur something to Morgana, which only lit another flame of anger in his chest.

He walked faster.

"Arthur!" Arthur heard Merlin yelling. The sound of Merlin's boots running down towards Arthur filled the empty hall.

"Arthur!" Merlin yelled again. "What's wrong? Why did you just…your face, it wasn't…what happened?"

Arthur turned around, his eyes bright. The anger and shock was still boiling inside of him. Merlin quickly stopped in his place, keeping his eyes on the prince.

"Arthur," Merlin said, this time, his voice quieter. "Arthur, why are you acting like this?"

Arthur took several large, angry steps towards his friend. Without thinking, he pushed Merlin – hard.

Merlin staggered a couple of steps back, his eyes wide. "Arthur?"

"What – were – you – doing?" Arthur asked, punctuating each word with another shove. Merlin backed into a wall, his brows furrowing together and his lips slightly parted in shock.

"Arthur, I was –"

"You _kissed_ Morgana! You kissed my half-sister! And here I was, thinking that you were tutoring other students! You were here this entire time, weren't you? You were here early just to see and _kiss_ Morgana!" Arthur yelled furiously. Merlin flinched at the loudness of Arthur's voice.

"Arthur, I'm so –"

"I _know _you like Morgana, Merlin!" Arthur cut him off indignantly. "But you _lied_ to me! You went behind my back so you could…so you could spend time with her? Why couldn't you just tell me?"

Merlin lifted his hands in surrender. "Arthur," he said slowly. "I wanted to tell you – Morgana and I really were about to," Arthur scoffed, but Merlin continued, "but we were both afraid that you would act like this."

Arthur shook his head. "Why would you be afraid?" He asked in a hard, cold tone. "You should have known that keeping a secret like this from me would only get me angrier."

Merlin looked down at the floor meekly. "I know," he mumbled. "I'm sorry."

Arthur turned around, crossing his arms. "I'm going to go," he said. "You can go back to…Morgana, if you want." Without giving Merlin a second glance, he stormed up the stairs to his bedroom.

He knew that he was being silly for yelling at Merlin and he knew he was being silly for getting angry at his best friend.

However, there was a small part of Arthur that kept nagging him, whispering that Merlin had _lied _to him. How long has Merlin been seeing Morgana? How long has Merlin been lying to him? Were Morgana and Merlin really going to tell him about their relationship, or was that just another lie?

Arthur reached his bedroom at last and with a moan, he flopped onto his bed. He kicked off his shoes and threw them across the room. Arthur buried his head in his pillow, feeling exhausted and worn out. He couldn't believe Merlin.

He really couldn't.

Ugh.

And then, Arthur did what most boys his age would do.

He squeezed his eyes shut and for the first time in what seemed like forever, he screamed in frustration, "_Son of a bitch!" _

That felt good.

That really did.

Arthur's father would probably have his hind for acting so improper, but he didn't really care right now.

He kicked at his blankets angrily, his jaws clenched together and his hands curled into small fists. Arthur just needed to take his annoyance out on something – anything.

Arthur slid off the bed and without another second of thought, he kicked his bedroom wall, his feet covered with nothing except for his socks.

"_Ow!_" Arthur yelled loudly, immediately crouching down to the floor, holding his foot gingerly. He slowly lowered the rest of himself to the ground and cringed, yanking off the sock and examining his foot. It was already swelling up.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and before Arthur could clearly process what was happening, Merlin was by his side, already holding an ice pack in his hands.

"Hold still, you clot pole," Merlin muttered, gently placing the ice pack on Arthur's foot. The prince winced and managed to say, "You came in here pretty fast."

Merlin shrugged, his eyes fixed on Arthur's foot. He adjusted the ice pack and looked back up. "I thought that you would do something like this."

"Kicking the wall?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shrugged again. "I thought that you would hurt yourself. You always do when you're angry about something." He stood up, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Well…I'll leave you to it, then," the dark-haired boy mumbled, turning around to walk away.

"Wait," Arthur quickly called out. Merlin froze in his tracks. He turned around to look at Arthur expectantly.

"Yes?" Merlin asked.

Arthur gave his friend a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, Merlin. I was shocked and I…acted foolishly."

Merlin snorted, shaking his head. "That was an understatement," he said lightly. "I thought your head was going to explode."

Arthur cringed and adjusted his position on the ground. "I really am sorry," Arthur continued. "I don't know what came over me. I know that you wouldn't ever hurt Morgana and I was wrong to doubt you like this."

Merlin gave Arthur a small smile. "I'm sorry, too," he said, walking back over to the prince. He sat down next to Arthur and went on, "I should have told you about Morgana before."

The young Pendragon shrugged. "It's alright," he said quietly. "I know that you'll be good to Morgana."

Merlin smiled. "Thank you."

Arthur shrugged again. "Yes, well," he mumbled, trying to return to his usual swagger. He quickly cleared his throat and said, "Now, help me up – I can't get up with this foot."

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**A/N: I'm sorry if it wasn't my best. I tried. *winces* However, I hope you guys enjoyed it. :) **

**Oh, and a little announcement - one of my friends here on FanFiction dot net has started a contest forum where you can write up challenges (that she will give you, of course,) from one of the following fandoms : Merlin, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Star Wars or Star Trek [reboot]. You get to choose your fandom, of course. I think the due date is around the end of June, but all info can be found on her forum. **

**The link to her forum is on her profile page, and her user name is Shining in the Darkness. Seriously, doods, she's one of the coolest people I have EVER met and her challenges are always interesting. [And yes, I know that I spelled doods d-o-o-d-s instead of d-u-d-e-s. This is what I get from watching certain Youtubers all day.] **

**Please review and give constructive criticism if you have any! Seriously, guys, I would love to hear what you guys have to say - I know that if you guys can fave/follow this story, you guys can take two more seconds to write a quick thought. Please? Pretty please? *flashes Merlin and Arthur puppy dog eyes* **

**Oh, and no flames, please! :) **

**Next chapter : Ten years old Merlin and Arthur are running around the mansion with only their swim trunks on. Apparently, Arthur has to get back at Merlin for shoving water down his shirt. **


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